Namibia must shift its vocational training system from producing job seekers to creating young entrepreneurs capable of building businesses and employing others, says parliamentarian Willem Amutenya.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Eenhana Vocational Training Centre entrepreneurship and innovation challenge on Monday, Amutenya said technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions should become engines of innovation, production and rural industrialisation.
He said graduates should leave training institutions with more than certificates, urging them to develop skills, business ideas, markets and access to finance.
“Let us build a TVET system that does not merely produce job seekers. Let us produce job creators,” Amutenya said.
He challenged students to identify problems in their communities and develop solutions that could become viable businesses.
Amutenya also called for TVET workshops to be transformed into production centres capable of manufacturing goods Namibia currently imports, including agricultural equipment, furniture, solar equipment and machinery components.
He proposed a national innovation seed fund to help young innovators develop prototypes, purchase equipment, register businesses and access markets.
He further urged traditional and local authorities to make land and infrastructure available for young entrepreneurs, saying rural areas could become industrial hubs.
“The village” should become an economic destination rather than a place young people have to leave to pursue their dreams, he said.
